Your Character's Name: Robert Winston
“If you have friends in the MPD, why can’t you just ask them for the laptop?”
“I never said I have friends in the MPD, Claire. I said I have a contacts. I’m not even sure they’ll talk to me, much less barter for a laptop. Even if they will, they’ll never give up the laptop, and I wouldn’t like our chances carrying a laptop if we need to move through Keeper or Curator territory. You hired me to keep you safe, kiddo. That’s what I’m doing.”
Claire eyed me sideways but didn’t say anything. We were all around a small fire amongst the ruins of a building. Ian and Rio were sleeping. Bordeaux… Bordeaux was being Bordeaux and mumbling to herself as far away from the fire as possible and still be in the light.
“I suppose it would be too much to ask for this to be easy?” Claire sighed, not really speaking to anyone.
I gave a small laugh. “If it was easy you wouldn’t need me. If it makes you feel better, I doubt my contact still holds a grudge. It was ten years ago.”
She pointed a finger at me. “You never mentioned a grudge.”
I shrugged. “Nope. Don’t want any crap from the peanut gallery over there.” I stopped polishing my scythe long enough to point Bordeaux. “She has a big mouth and isn’t afraid to use it. She seems fond of using it, too. So, I kept it to myself.”
Claire glanced over at Bordeaux. “Yeah, I suppose. I don’t like surprises, Robert.”
“I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry. She’s trouble and she’ll get herself or us killed. I’m not telling her what I don’t have to.”
“Whatever. I’m going to bed.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll keep first watch.”
“State your business.” The MPD officer didn’t bother looking up from his clipboard.
Rio flopped into the chair next to me. “You sure this is a good idea, man?”
“No, but it’s the only idea I have. If you have a better one, feel free to chime in.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Naw, man.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t like the MPD.”
“Who does?” I shrugged. “They’re everywhere in the region, and have serious firepower. You know that. I know you’ve had more than a few encounters. You think we’d stand a chance in hell stealing the laptop? No thanks. That’s suicide.”
“Don’t mean I gotta like it, man.”
I was saved from responding by heavy footfalls coming close. Three officers stopped in front of us. “Robert Winston?”
“Yeah.”
“Follow us. Don’t try anything funny.”
I just grunted and stood to follow with Rio on my heels. They escorted us out of the atrium and into a back room where Matthews was waiting. He motioned the guards out, then stood staring at us for a long moment.
“Got a death wish, Winston? Coming here, wanting to see me. Sure seems like it.”
“No, Matthews. I just know a good resource when I meet one. I’ve got stuff to offer.”
He grunted and nodded at Rio. “You know this guy’s wanted?”
I shrugged. “It’s possible. It’s also possible you’re mistaking him for someone else.”
Matthews’ laugh was ugly. “You still know how to play the game. What’s to trade?”
I told him about the scythe and a broken gun. The gun may not seem like a good trade, but guns brake, and spare parts are useful. Then I told him about the laptop. “I don’t want the actual device. Just the diagrams and the file on the girl’s parents. That’s not a lot.”
He pursed his lips and rocked back and forth on his heels for a while. I don’t know if he was really thinking about it, or just making me sweat.
“Alright. Throw in one more thing, and I’ll give you what you want.”
“What?”
“A favor. Not now, but later. My choice or favor, you don’t get to say no.”
I saw Rio shake his head out of the corner of my eye, but I’ve done this dance before. I stuck out my hand. “Deal.”
He took it and gripped my hand hard. “Meet me out back.” I started to pull my hand back, but Matthews pulled me forward looked at me hard. “No funny business this time, you feel me?”
I returned his glare with a bland look. “Out back, no funny business. You done?”
He snarled and let go. “Five minutes.”
I dropped the scythe and gun on the barter table behind the MPD headquarters. Matthews shoved a thick stack of papers across the table. “There. Count yourself lucky we get regular tributes of ink from those Keeper monks.”
“Yeah, and regular maintenance from the Curators.” I rolled my eyes.
Matthews snorted. “Yeah, you do remember!”
I nodded, but kept my face carefully blank. I picked up the papers and flipped through.
“I still think you should join up. If I get it in my head, you won’t have a choice.”
“We always have a choice, Matthews. Thanks for the trade.” I nodded to Rio we turned to leave, only to have several MPD officers draw on us.
“Not everyone has a choice, Winston. When you have skills that are useful, you have to pick a side, or one will be picked for you. That’s the way of the world, and I know you’re not idealistic enough to think otherwise. Besides. I’m calling in my favor. You don’t to say no.”
I turned to him. “Call them off. Get revenge another way.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No, I think I get my revenge now. You don’t ever steal from me.”
“I didn’t steal from you. We had a deal, you decided to back out when you found out how much the Curators would give you for that tech. I gave you that Horsemen stronghold when they started striking out from the North Central Valley. We both know how much that information cost, how much it was worth. You decided to double cross me.”
“That’s not how I remember it, and that’s not what my superiors believe.” He smiled and raised his own gun. “Hell with conscripting you. I think you tried to escape, and you were gunned down. Goodbye Winston.”
“If you have friends in the MPD, why can’t you just ask them for the laptop?”
“I never said I have friends in the MPD, Claire. I said I have a contacts. I’m not even sure they’ll talk to me, much less barter for a laptop. Even if they will, they’ll never give up the laptop, and I wouldn’t like our chances carrying a laptop if we need to move through Keeper or Curator territory. You hired me to keep you safe, kiddo. That’s what I’m doing.”
Claire eyed me sideways but didn’t say anything. We were all around a small fire amongst the ruins of a building. Ian and Rio were sleeping. Bordeaux… Bordeaux was being Bordeaux and mumbling to herself as far away from the fire as possible and still be in the light.
“I suppose it would be too much to ask for this to be easy?” Claire sighed, not really speaking to anyone.
I gave a small laugh. “If it was easy you wouldn’t need me. If it makes you feel better, I doubt my contact still holds a grudge. It was ten years ago.”
She pointed a finger at me. “You never mentioned a grudge.”
I shrugged. “Nope. Don’t want any crap from the peanut gallery over there.” I stopped polishing my scythe long enough to point Bordeaux. “She has a big mouth and isn’t afraid to use it. She seems fond of using it, too. So, I kept it to myself.”
Claire glanced over at Bordeaux. “Yeah, I suppose. I don’t like surprises, Robert.”
“I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry. She’s trouble and she’ll get herself or us killed. I’m not telling her what I don’t have to.”
“Whatever. I’m going to bed.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll keep first watch.”
“State your business.” The MPD officer didn’t bother looking up from his clipboard.
“I’m looking for Officer Matthews.”
“Who’s asking?”
“Tell him Winston is looking for a trade.”
“Sit down, I’ll tell him.”
Rio flopped into the chair next to me. “You sure this is a good idea, man?”
“No, but it’s the only idea I have. If you have a better one, feel free to chime in.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Naw, man.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t like the MPD.”
“Who does?” I shrugged. “They’re everywhere in the region, and have serious firepower. You know that. I know you’ve had more than a few encounters. You think we’d stand a chance in hell stealing the laptop? No thanks. That’s suicide.”
“Don’t mean I gotta like it, man.”
I was saved from responding by heavy footfalls coming close. Three officers stopped in front of us. “Robert Winston?”
“Yeah.”
“Follow us. Don’t try anything funny.”
I just grunted and stood to follow with Rio on my heels. They escorted us out of the atrium and into a back room where Matthews was waiting. He motioned the guards out, then stood staring at us for a long moment.
“Got a death wish, Winston? Coming here, wanting to see me. Sure seems like it.”
“No, Matthews. I just know a good resource when I meet one. I’ve got stuff to offer.”
He grunted and nodded at Rio. “You know this guy’s wanted?”
I shrugged. “It’s possible. It’s also possible you’re mistaking him for someone else.”
Matthews’ laugh was ugly. “You still know how to play the game. What’s to trade?”
I told him about the scythe and a broken gun. The gun may not seem like a good trade, but guns brake, and spare parts are useful. Then I told him about the laptop. “I don’t want the actual device. Just the diagrams and the file on the girl’s parents. That’s not a lot.”
He pursed his lips and rocked back and forth on his heels for a while. I don’t know if he was really thinking about it, or just making me sweat.
“Alright. Throw in one more thing, and I’ll give you what you want.”
“What?”
“A favor. Not now, but later. My choice or favor, you don’t get to say no.”
I saw Rio shake his head out of the corner of my eye, but I’ve done this dance before. I stuck out my hand. “Deal.”
He took it and gripped my hand hard. “Meet me out back.” I started to pull my hand back, but Matthews pulled me forward looked at me hard. “No funny business this time, you feel me?”
I returned his glare with a bland look. “Out back, no funny business. You done?”
He snarled and let go. “Five minutes.”
I dropped the scythe and gun on the barter table behind the MPD headquarters. Matthews shoved a thick stack of papers across the table. “There. Count yourself lucky we get regular tributes of ink from those Keeper monks.”
“Yeah, and regular maintenance from the Curators.” I rolled my eyes.
Matthews snorted. “Yeah, you do remember!”
I nodded, but kept my face carefully blank. I picked up the papers and flipped through.
“I still think you should join up. If I get it in my head, you won’t have a choice.”
“We always have a choice, Matthews. Thanks for the trade.” I nodded to Rio we turned to leave, only to have several MPD officers draw on us.
“Not everyone has a choice, Winston. When you have skills that are useful, you have to pick a side, or one will be picked for you. That’s the way of the world, and I know you’re not idealistic enough to think otherwise. Besides. I’m calling in my favor. You don’t to say no.”
I turned to him. “Call them off. Get revenge another way.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No, I think I get my revenge now. You don’t ever steal from me.”
“I didn’t steal from you. We had a deal, you decided to back out when you found out how much the Curators would give you for that tech. I gave you that Horsemen stronghold when they started striking out from the North Central Valley. We both know how much that information cost, how much it was worth. You decided to double cross me.”
“That’s not how I remember it, and that’s not what my superiors believe.” He smiled and raised his own gun. “Hell with conscripting you. I think you tried to escape, and you were gunned down. Goodbye Winston.”
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